


Stiles' precious little Der-Bear

by alphabetgirl



Series: Der-Bear series [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Beta Peter Hale, Beta Scott, Child Derek, Cute, Der-Bear series part 1, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nice Peter, No Sex, Stiles is feeling broody
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-25
Updated: 2016-04-25
Packaged: 2018-05-29 07:52:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6365515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alphabetgirl/pseuds/alphabetgirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Previously called Baby mine. </p><p>A witch has turned Derek temporarily into a three year old, meaning that Stiles has to look after the tiny tearaway. And if he gets one grey hair as a result there will be hell to pay.</p><p>2nd chapter is up!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"This has got to be a dream," Stiles said, dumbstruck.

"If it is, we're both having the same one," Scott replied.

"Want me to pinch you?" Erica asked scathingly.

"No!," Stiles answered quickly. "Last time you pinched me, I needed stitches,".

He sighed and rubbed his sleep encrusted eyes before pinching the bridge of his nose.. Why did this stuff always have to happen to him? He had originally had high hopes for this morning. It was a Sunday, so there was no school, all of his homework had been done, and there were no current supernatural threats to Beacon hills, meaning that he could have a lie in. A lie in that would hopefully involve snuggles from a certain super hot werewolf. Before he went to bed, he had left the window unlocked to make it easy for him to sneak in, as he did every night. It came as a surprise and a disappointment when he was woken by his phone ringing to find out that he was alone. Quite often, if Stiles was asleep when Derek arrived, the alpha would simply slide into bed without waking him and fall asleep as well. The phone call was made from Derek's phone but it was Erica who spoke, simply saying, "Get here now," before hanging up again. Her curtness wasn't the thing that set off the alarm bells inside his head, it was the fact that she sounded panicky. His father was a heavy sleeper, so it was easy for Stiles to sneak out of the house and break every speed limit to get to his boyfriend's. However, nothing could prepare him for the sight of said boyfriend de-aged into a three year old, sitting in Erica's lap and chewing the beta's hair. The fact that Erica wasn't freaking out about that was another thing that had Stiles convinced that this was all a dream.

"But, how?" Stiles asked, watching in fascination as Erica cooed to Derek as if he was the cutest thing since God invented kittens.

"Boyd picked up the scent of a witch late last night. We were all looking for her, we could smell her close by but we couldn't see her. It turns out that she was hiding in a tree. She jumped on top of Derek and turned him into this," Erica explained. "We injured her in the ensuing fight but she escaped,".

"Any ideas on how we reverse..." Scott gestured at Derek. "how we reverse what she's done,".

"I've seen this happen once before," Peter replied. "It wears off after a few days,".

"What are we supposed to do with him until then!" Scott exclaimed as Boyd engaged the tiny werewolf in a gentle tussle, growling at him playfully.

"Lock him in a cupboard and forget about him," Peter replied dryly. "Look after him, of course,". 

"On that note," Boyd said, standing up with Derek in his arms and handing him to Stiles. "He's all yours,".

"We need to hunt down this witch," Peter explained. "Scott, you stay here in case she's not finished with Derek. Stiles, look after your boyfriend. The rest of us will go and rid beacon hills of this bitch,".

"Oh boy," Scott muttered.

************************************************************************************************************************

"Derek, no!" Stiles shouted for what seemed like the hundredth time, grabbing Derek from where he was trying to climb up onto the kitchen counter. He held the pup up at eye level, looking at him sternly. "No.".

The little werewolf giggled and held out both arms for a hug, eyes bright with mirth. Stiles sighed and pulled him close, tickling his soft little belly so he could hear the cute laughter ring out. He couldn't deny that it was nice to be on the guving end of a tickle attack. Having a super strong werewolf boyfriend put you at a disadvantage when it came to tickle fights. "Yeah, I fully intend to get my revenge while you're so tiny, Der-bear," he teased, shifting the young werewolf in his grip. Derek didn't respond to the playful threat, just beamed at him, eyes shining. Stiles swallowed past a lump in his throat. He was having trouble associating this happy ray of sunshine to the brooding, serious man he knew and loved. Was this what Derek was like before the fire? Probably. He felt yet another pang of anger at Kate Argent for what she did, turning a bright, vibrant child's life upside down just because of her stupid prejudices. 

"Mate," Derek said happily, snuffling at his neck to get his scent. 

Stiles smiled, holding the pup tighter and bouncing him on his hip gently.

"Yes, I'm your mate,".

Peter had told him that Derek might subconsciously remember him, and recognise the bond between them and it came as a relief to Stiles that his boyfriend hadn't completely forgotten him. 

"Awww," Scott crooned from where he was leaning against the oven. "Derek was really cute when he was little. Where did it all go wrong... Ouch!".

"He's always really cute," Stiles snapped, cradling Derek protectively while Scott rubbed the shoulder that Stiles had just thumped with a rolling pin.

***********************************************************************************************************************************************************

"Yeah, Peter believes it will wear off in time," Stiles was saying on the phone to Lydia an hour later. "Yeah, we're coping. Scott's busy playing hide and seek with him right now. Could you possibly go to the shop for me and get him a few changes of clothes? And some pyjamas? Maybe a few toys as well. Great, thanks..."

"Stiles!" Scott called worried. "Stiles!".

"I'd better go and make sure Derek hasn't barricaded Scott in the downstairs bathroom again.".

"What?" Lydia laughed.

"He tried that half an hour ago so he could raid the biscuit cupboard,".

Still chuckling, Stiles and Lydia said their goodbyes and hug up.

"Stiles!" Scott yelled again.

"What?!"

"We were playing hide and seek, and he told me that listening to his heartbeat or trying to smell him was cheating, and now he's gone!".

"Well have you tried listening for him?" 

"Of course I have! He's not in the house anymore!,".

Stiles's heart began to race. Werewolf or not, Derek was just a three year old. A small, defenceless three year old. Stiles doubted he had any road sense, or a concept of danger when it came to strangers.And what if that witch got hold of him? Within seconds he was practically hyperventilating. 

"Hey, it'll be o.k. buddy, we will find him," Scott said gently, laying a hand on his shoulder. "He can't have gone far. Not on those little legs,".

Stiles took a deep breath and nodded and the two teenagers began to search the surrounding area.

"Can't you get his scent or anything?" Stiles asked, bending down to peer under a bush. They'd checked every nearby bush and tree at least twice now but he didn't want to give up hope that Derek was still close by.

"There's already a strong scent of him around here, I can't get a clear trail," Scott replied.

"I'll call Peter to come and stay at the house in case he comes back of his own accord," Stiles sighed, pulling out his phone. "That will enable the two of us to search further,". 

************************************************************

To say that Peter was about ready to rip Scott's throat out was an understatement. Of all the times to lose a three year old, he had to go and do it when there was a powerful, psychotic witch running around. A witch that they had been closing in on before the phone call from Stiles had arrived. Derek had been gone 45 minutes now, and panic was starting to get to the beta. His hands were shaking, sweat had began to gather on his forehead and he was torn between either screaming or breaking something. 

He was torn from his thoughts by a loud knock on the door. Straightening up from where he was leaning against the kitchen counter, he went to answer it. And God help the person on the other side if they were a door to door salesman.

Sheriff Stilinski was standing on the porch, holding a growling Derek at arms length.

"Does this 'delightful' thing belong to Derek. I found him chasing baby rabbits on the main road and noticed the similarities,".

Peter couldn't help but laugh at that.

"Did he get any?" he asked while eying his nephew for signs of injury. Apart from a few healing scratches, the child seemed to be fine. 

"No, but it was a close call for one of them. And he wasn't too happy with me putting him in the car neither,". The sheriff was still trying to keep a hold on the wriggling pup and sighed in relief when Peter took him into his own arms."Who is he anyway?".

Before Peter could answer, a relieved shout came from behind them.

"Derek," Stiles called, relief evident in his voice. 

He lifted him easily into his arms, smothering his face in kisses. "You don't go out the house without one of us with you," he scolded. 

"That thing is Derek!" the sheriff choked.

"A witch cursed him, long story, but he will be back to normal soon," Peter explained.

"And he is a person, not a thing," Stiles sniped, his voice coming out muffled from where he had his face buried in Derek's hair.

"Mate!" Derek sighed happily, snuggling further into Stiles and resting his little head on his shoulder.

"what did he just say?!" the sheriff gaped.

"Mate, mate, mate," Derek repeated, nuzzling Stiles' throat.

Stiles looked at his father sheepishly. He had told his father that he and Derek were dating, but had yet to mention that they were mates, or explain the significance of it. As far as his father was concerned, it was just a normal teenage romance, something that would quite possibly burn itself out and not some passionate, eternal relationship. 

"I had no idea you were that serious," sheriff said in surprise, not fully understanding the seriousness of their relationship but now fully understanding that it was no casual thing. 

"Yeeeaaah," Stiles drawled, before rapidly changing the subject. "Where was he any way?"

"On the main road. Trying to kill a baby rabbit for you as a love token,". Peter replied.

The sheriff held one hand up to silence him.

"That's grim. And on that note, I need to get back to work. Stiles, I take it you are staying here tonight?".

"Yeah I will be, thanks for bringing him back." Stiles replied, looking up briefly before going back to cooing words of adoration into Derek's ear, telling him that he didn't need any baby bunnies, having Derek was enough.

"I'd better get back to the others," Peter said once the sheriff had drive off. "Are you sure you are going to be o.k.?"

"We'll be fine," Stiles said, letting Peter take the child from him to give him a hug good bye.

"Who is my favourite little man, hmmm?" Peter cooed, nuzzling his nephew's forehead. "You are. My favourite nephew. Are you going to be a good boy for Stiles and Scott?". "No!". "That's my boy," Peter pressed one more kiss to the top of Derek's head before handing him. 

Stiles took Derek back into his arms, setting him on his hip and smoothing down the raven hair with his free hand before leaning in to press a tender kiss to the child's forehead. The young werewolf responded with a gentle nip to Stiles' neck.

"Awww, a little love bite," Peter crooned, causing Stiles' cheeks to heat up. 

Derek nipped him again, this time a bit harder, before leaning back with an expectant look. Understanding what he wanted, Stiles gently nipped the child's shoulder, barely scraping the soft skin with his teeth and earning a delighted giggle from the precious bundle in his arms.

"Are you going to phone Scott and tell him that he is back?,". Peter asked as he put his coat and shoes back on.

"No," Stiles smirked. "let the idiot sweat a bit more first".

************************************************************************************************************************

Derek and Stiles were curled up on the sofa watching cartoons by the time Scott finally came back, muddy and covered in healing scratches from all the bushes he had searched for signs of the wayward three year old.

"Why didn't you tell me he was back!" he shouted indignantly.

"Shhh!" Derek hissed, keeping his eyes on the SpongeBob Squarepants episode he was watching. 

"It must have slipped my mind, sorry," Stiles replied smugly, sinking further back into the couch cushions.

Scott collapsed next to him, throwing his forearm across his eyes.

"You can explain to Allison why I no longer want to have kids," he shot at Derek.

Derek yawned noisily and curled up against Stiles's side as his little eyes fluttered shut, one hand coming up to knead the fabric of Stiles' hoodie in the way a kitten or puppy would. And Stiles felt his heart melt all over again.

"Awww," Scott cooed from his place in the armchair. 

Stiles tightened his hold on the small child protectively, raising one eyebrow at his friend, daring him to say whatever is on his mind. Scott is only too happy to take up the challenge.

"Look at you with that dreamy look on your face,".

"I do not have a dreamy look on my face," Stiles hissed quietly, not wanting to wake up a now sleeping Derek.

"You totally do. Admit it, you are imagining this curse wearing off and then in a few years you will convince Lydia or Allison to be your surrogate and you'll go on to have a dozen adorable black haired, green eyed babies,". 

Stiles blush gave him away.

"That is so not what I'm thinking. Eight or nine babies will be just fine,". 

"God," Scott breathed, shuddering. "I'm just imagining walking into a house full of little Derek Hales,". 

"They'd be half me as well," Stiles said indignantly. 

"That's even more terrifying,".

"I guess you won't want to be godfather then,". 

Scott held his hands up placatingly. "I never said that,". 

Derek stirred before Stiles could come up with a decent response, and he immediately set about soothing him back into a peaceful slumber. 

"Shhh, puppy, I'm here. You just go back to sleep,". 

Stiles carried Derek upstairs to his bedroom, tucking the sleeping puppy under the duvet and kissing his forehead before turning to leave the room. He hadn't got half way to the door when the tired werewolf rolled off the mattress in his sleep and hit the floor with a thump. Heart in his mouth, Stiles went racing back over, expecting tears to come at any moment. It was only when he was pulling his tiny boyfriend into his arms that he realised that he was still sound asleep, a small smile on his face. Chuckling, Stiles got the spare duvet and a heap of pillows and set about making a snug nest for the little werewolf on the floor.

***********************************************************************************************************************************************************

It was just after lunch when Lydia arrived, carrying several shopping bags from various children's shops. 

"Sorry I took so long. The shops were heaving and then I had to figure out what to get him. I mean, what do young werewolves play with?" she said, flustered, running a hand through her hair. "And then, to top it all off, there was some big car pile up somewhere. All of Beacon hills is gridlocked.".

Stiles relieved her of some of the bags as she took her shoes and jacket off.

"Where is he anyway?" 

"Taking a power nap upstairs," Stiles replied as Lydia began to pull several articles of clothing out of the bags.

It was mainly dark coloured t-shirts and tiny pairs of skinny jeans with the addition of a pair of blue pyjamas with paw prints on - awww- a few sets of underwear and a small pair of trainers. There was even a little leather jacket that she had found pretty cheap in a charity shop.

"I had no idea what toys to get for a werewolf. I thought maybe pencils and crayon? All kids like drawing, right?" Lydia said.

"Suppose so," Stiles replied.

"Anyway, how are you holding up?" Lydia asked.

"Fine," Stiles lied, earning himself a sceptical look and a raised eyebrow.

"It's just, what if this never wears off? If he has to grow up again. I'll be nearing forty by the time he reaches legal age. Or what if it is permanent and he has to stay a three year old forever?"

"God help us all," he heard Scott mutter from the next room.

"Oh, honey," Lydia sighed and wrapped him in a tight hug. 

Stiles pressed his face into her shoulder, and for a minute just left himself be comforted only to be alerted to his mate's presence by a low growl coming from the pup's throat. Lifting his head, he saw Derek standing in the door way, his clothes rumpled from sleep and sporting pretty impressive bed head. It would have looked adorable if it wasn't for the sinister snarl on his face and his glowing eyes. The three year old crouched down, looking for all the world like he was about to pounce. But it wasn't Stiles who was the subject of his contempt, it was Lydia.

"Derek!," Stiles admonished. "It is only Lydia,".

"Awww, he's cute," Lydia said, seemingly not noticing the danger that she was in.

"Mine," Derek growled.

"Yes, I know Stiles is yours," Lydia replied calmly, stepping away from her friend and holding both hands up in a placating gesture. "I don't want to take him from you, I won't touch him if you don't want me to. I just came to see you. Because you're a big, important alpha, aren't you?".

"Please don't tell him that," Scott groaned. "His ego is big enough already,"

After being reassured that she had no interest in Stiles, Derek ended up taking to Lydia and the drawing quite well, once Lydia had convinced him to not eat the paper.

"Look," Derek said proudly to Stiles, showing off several pictures that he had already done.

"They're beautiful," Stiles praised. "What is this one?"

"Me chasing baby rabbits.".

"what is it with you and harming baby bunnies. Leave the poor things alone,".Stiles ruffled Derek's hair. "and this one?" 

"You and me getting officially mated,".

Stiles felt his heart stutter and come to a stop at that one. While he knew that they were mated, he and Derek had yet to mention getting it officiated through a traditional ceremony and Stiles would be lying if he said that he hadn't been longing for his boyfriend to suggest it. Although he never expected Derek to suggest it while he was under a witch's de-aging spell.

"Do I get to be bridesmaid," Lydia teased.

************************************************************

************************************************************************************************************************

It was mid afternoon when Erica, Boyd and Peter returned.

"Hey!" Stiles greeted, gently pushing Derek off his lap so he could stand up to greet them. The three year old pattered out the room and down the hall towards the kitchen. "How did the hunt go?".

"Piece of cake," Peter replied, "The silly cow got over confident and tried to attack Boyd. Me and Erica were ripping her apart before she could get close. Now, where is my favourite nephew?".

"He was just here...," Stiles looked around "I think he is maybe in the kitchen. Anyway..." he indicated to the blood saturating the three werewolves' clothes. "You all need to clean up before you can see him,".

Realising that Derek had suddenly grown very quiet, Stiles wandered into the kitchen to see what the little werewolf was up to. He found Derek standing on a chair at the kitchen counter, mixing a bowl of something that looked brown and sludgy. 

Oh good, indoor mud pies. 

"Derek, if you want to make mud pies, you will have to do it outside," he said firmly.

The toddler fixed him with a steely gaze, and wow, even at that young age, Derek Hale had a killer glare.

"They're not mud pies. I'm making cookies," he said, looking at Stiles as if he was an idiot. 

It was then that Stiles noticed the smashed eggs all over the chair and Derek's feet, and the bag of sugar on it's side on the counter, spilling it's contents all over the floor. Derek lifted up a full bag of flour to add some to his 'cookie dough' and accidently poured the whole lot in, sending a white cloud into the air.

"Whoops,".

Stiles inwardly groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. 

"You look shattered," Erica commented, sounding strangely sympathetic. Stiles jumped, not having heard her approach.

"Why don't you have a lie down, let me finish up here,".

Stiles was torn. While the sound of a lie down on Derek's big, soft bed sounded heavenly, leaving Erica and a three year old Derek alone was surely a recipe for disaster.

"Go," Scott said softly, "I'll stay and supervise. With a fire extinguisher,". 

"Alright," Stiles agreed "But get two fire extinguishers,"

Erica glared at him, clearly offended. 

"Weren't you the one who lost him?" she hissed at Scott.

"I'll be back in a little while, buddy," Stiles murmured to the pup, kissing the top of his head. Derek beamed and held out a small fistful of the 'cookie dough'. 

"Taste first," he demanded.

Stile steeled himself and ate a tiny bit of the 'dough' from his boyfriend's hand gently, trying to avoid getting any of the fragments of egg shell. 

"Mmm. Tastes good," he lied, inwardly grimacing at the raw egg and lumps of flour and hmmm, was that pepper?

************************************************************************************************************************

Stiles was woken up forty minutes by a loud crash coming from the kitchen. Well, at least it wasn't the fire alarm.  
Upon entering the kitchen, Stiles was pleased to see that Kira had arrived and had taken over the cookie making, because Erica combined with a hyperactive three year old werewolf and something that could easily burst into flames was not good. Derek had his back to him, balancing on a chair while he decorated cookies with a few little tubes of icing, seeming to get more on himself and the counter than the cookies. He was covered in so much flour that he looked like a little ghost, and Stiles pulled out his phone to take a few pictures. Derek, who had been too engrossed in his cookie decorating to notice his arrival, looked up at the sound of the shutter and turned around to face him, face splitting into a wide smile.

"What the hell is all that?" Stiles exclaimed in horror, eying the amount of make up that covered his boyfriend's face.

"He wanted to look like a bunny," Erica replied nonchalantly as Derek ran over to Stiles with a cookie in each hand and asked to be picked up.

"For god's sake, Erica," Stiles fussed, setting the tiny alpha on his hip and rubbing at the two bucked teeth that had been drawn on his chin. "He isn't a toy,". 

"I've already told you, he wanted me to do it." Erica shot back, flicking her blonde curls over her shoulder. "Because he knows that you like bunnies,". 

"I'm a bunny," Derek agreed around a mouthful of cookie. 

"Alright, fine," Stiles sighed. "You're a bunny,".

Derek held the other cookie up to Stile's mouth.

"Eat,".

Stiles obediently let Derek feed him the cookie, glaring at Scott and Kira when they started taking pictures. 

"He is going to murder you all slowly and painfully when he is back to normal, you know that, right?" he said to them.

************************************************************************************************************************

Once all the cookies had been devoured, Stiles picked up his filthy boyfriend.

"Come on, bath time,"

"No!"

"You got yourself all dirty, puppy,". Stiles said firmly, fighting to keep a tight hold on the struggling child and lugging him up the stairs and into the bathroom.

Derek screamed at the sight of the full bath that Stiles had ran for him while he was still distracted with cookies. 

"No!" he sobbed into Stile's neck, trembling uncontrollably. 

Stiles held him tight, stroking his back soothingly.

"Shhh, puppy. It's alright, I'm not going to let anything happen to you. Just give you a bath,".

"No, no, no, no, NO!" 

The pup was hysterical, sobbing that hard that Stiles was scared that he would make himself sick. He paced around the landing with him, stroking his hair and making soothing noises in his ear, at a complete loss at what to do. This was more than a stubborn three year old not wanting a bath. Something had happened to make Derek absolutely terrified of the water. 

"What the heck is going on?" Peter asked, walking up the stairs.

"I was going to give him a bath, but as soon as he saw it he just freaked out," Stiles told him over Derek's sobs.

A look of understanding crossed Peter's face. 

"Awww, puppy. It's o.k.," Peter soothed, reaching out to wipe a few tears from his nephew's face. "Shhh, shhh, you don't have to have a bath, it's o.k, shhhhh,".

Stiles shot him a confused look.

"When Derek was three, his aunt,his mother's sister, took him and Laura for a picnic in the park. They were feeding the ducks at the pond and she failed to notice that Derek had gotten too close to the water until he fell in," Stiles picked up on the note of bitterness in Peter's voice at that part. "He was only under water for thirty seconds but for a few years after that he was terrified of bodies of water.".

Stiles flinched, instinctively hugging the sniffling puppy closer.

"The best thing to do is to drain the water out the bath and use the shower head to hose him down. He won't mind that,".

Stiles carried Derek back into the bathroom, shushing him as he geared up for another screaming fit.

"Shhh, I'm going to take the plug out. See, the water is going away,".

The pup sat in his lap while they watched the water drain down the plug hole, squirming happily when his mate kissed a few stray tears from his cheeks.

Standing Derek up in the bath, Stiles reached for the shower head and set it to a warm temperature, testing it on his elbow before letting it come into contact with the three year old's delicate skin. He was relieved to find that Derek quite enjoyed being hosed down, giggling and trying to catch the spray with his little hand. Once the rest of his body was clean, Stiles used a warm wash cloth to remove all of the make up and cookie dough from his face before gently shampooing and rinsing his hair. 

Scott was waiting outside as he carried a towel swaddled werewolf from the room.

"Is he alright?" Scott asked, having no doubt heard all of the earlier screaming.

"He is now, right buddy?" Stiles asked, jiggling the sleepy little bundle in his arms.

Derek nodded and yawned, his mouth forming a tiny O. 

"He's exhausted," Scott murmured softly, smoothing the still damp hair at the crown of Derek's head.

"Yeah, I'm going to get him to bed. Could you grab the pyjamas that Lydia brought?".

Together, they managed to get the now sleeping pup changed and into bed before tucking him into his little nest and pulling the blankets over him.

"Only two or three days more to go," Stiles said optimistically, brushing a lock of hair from his boyfriend's forehead.

************************************************************************************************************************

On the third night, Derek crawled into Stiles' bed like he usually did, curling up into a little ball at his side. 

"Hey Der-Bear," Stiles greeted, twisting his fingers in the soft black locks.

Derek sniffled and threw his arms around Stiles' neck.

"What's up, buddy?" Stiles asked, feeling the moisture on his collar bone.

"I want to be big again," Derek gulped.

Stiles stiffened.

"You remember?".

"Yes... No........Maybe, a little bit?" the puppy sniffed.

Stiles let out a shaky breath. If Derek could remember being big, it might be a sign that the spell was wearing off.

"You're going to get big again, pup. Any time now, I promise.". 

Derek rubbed his eyes with his tiny knuckles and looked up at his mate with a watery smile.

"Tell me a story," he asked. "To help me sleep,".

"Sure," Stiles murmured. "Which one do you want?".

"The tickle monster?".

Stiles grinned and pulled him closer, beginning to retell the story from memory. It was a story that his mother made up for him when he was little, and had always been one of his favourites when he was a small child. He spoke quietly, targeting all the werewolf's most sensitive parts when the story dictated, before going in hard for the grand finale, tickling his mate until he was breathless with laughter and completely exhausted. Sleep claimed them both quickly after that as they drifted off in each other's arms.

************************************************************************************************************************

Stiles was woken by soft kisses being pattered all over his face. He hummed, revelling in being woken up in one of his favourite ways. The mouth travelled further down, brushing over the pulse point in his neck before nipping his collar bone lightly with the slightest scrape of stubble against his skin. 

"Mine," A low voice growled as a large hand was placed on his stomach, thumb brushing back and forth over his navel. 

Stiles shot bolt upright, or tried to shoot upright only to be pressed back down by his six foot tall, 21 year old boyfriend.

"You're you again!" he cried.

"Mmmhmm," Derek replied with a smile, leaning down to give him a kiss that took Stiles' breath away.

"Can you remember what happened?"

"Sort of. Feels kind of surreal, like it was all a dream,".

"Believe me, babe, it wasn't" Stiles chuckled. "Boyd and Scott probably still have the bite marks to prove it,".

"So I really let Erica draw a...?" 

"Yes,".

Derek groaned and thumped his head against Stiles' shoulder. 

"Hey," Stiles soothed. "It's O.K. They care about you and understand that you were not yourself. They are not going to tease you,".

Derek didn't respond except to let out a low, pitiful whine.

"And if they do, you can always go all alpha on them as a warning that you are now back to your manly, badass, grown up self,".

Derek continued to wallow in self pity for a couple of minutes, while Stiles lavished his broad shoulders with kisses. 

"Stiles," Derek said.

"Hmmm?"

Derek drew him into another kiss, this one tender and sweet.

"Thanks for taking care of me.".


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the bonding ceremony

Stiles had literally never been this happy, not even when Derek first admitted that he loved him. He didn't think that an undergoing an unofficial mating ceremony would make him feel particularly different, after all, he and Derek had been mated for a year before the subject of a ceremony even came up. But now, everything felt different. Him, his bond, the whole world. Because now, the bond between him and Derek had been declared official and real. No one could dispute the link between the human and his werewolf, and Stiles felt that Derek's claim on him must now be as obvious as if he had property of Derek Hale tattooed across his forehead. 

Talia Hale had been a well respected alpha, and werewolves had come from all over the state to witness the union between her son and current alpha of the Hale pack and his human mate. It was pretty unnerving to have so many strange werewolves under one roof, and to have them all focused on him was equally terrifying. It was no secret that not everyone approved of werewolf/human relationships, and Stiles had been worrying for weeks about some kind of trouble kicking off, but thankfully, everyone had been full of congratulations for the couple. It was late afternoon by the time that Stiles managed to slip away from the celebrations to have a few minutes to himself in the kitchen. Most of the guests had left by this point, and the only ones who remained were the rest of the pack, his father, Deaton and the officiant. Later, Stiles and Derek would be leaving for the forest, where they would consummate their mating out in the wilderness, in the traditional werewolf.

He was so engrossed in imaging the way that Derek's naked torso would look in the light of the moon that he failed to notice Lydia's approach until a phone was thrust under his nose.

"What's this?" 

"An late mating ceremony present," she replied, seeming particularly pleased with herself.

She tapped a few buttons on the screen and a video started playing. It was a video of Derek, back when he had been de-aged to a three year old. He was kneeling by the coffee table colouring something on piece of paper, his tongue sticking out of his mouth slightly in concentration. It was a look that Stiles found particularly adorable.

"But I thought that Derek destroyed all of this stuff?" he said.

"Everything accept this," Lydia replied. "Now shhh. The best part is coming,".

In the video, Lydia moved to sit beside the child. 

"What are you drawing?" she asked him.

"Me and Stiles getting officially mated," he replied, reaching for a yellow crayon and beginning to draw a sun at the top of the paper.

"You love Stiles, don't you?"

"Yes. More than anything in the whole world,".

Not for the first time that day, Stiles felt his eyes fill with tears.

"And we're going to get officially mated, and live together for ever. Because we're supposed to be together,".

Stiles wiped his eyes as the video came to an end. 

"I'll send it to you," Lydia replied. "Keep it away from Derek though,". 

 

"Are you alright?" Derek asked, once their erratic breathing had calmed somewhat, pulling out of his mate as he did so. "I didn't hurt you?" he softly brushed the hair back off Stiles' forehead before gently stroking the back of his hand along his cheekbone.

"No," Stiles replied. "It was amazing. You were amazing,". 

It was the truth. Derek had been nothing but gentle, doing everything for Stiles' comfort and constantly ensuring that his lover was o.k. before going any further.

Derek seemed satisfied with his answer, peppering his face with kisses before standing up and going in search of their scattered garments. Stiles remained on his back, gazing up at the star spattered sky contentedly, the forest grass cool and ticklish against his sensitized flesh. Rolling onto his side, he tracked his lover's movements with his eyes, admiring his naked ass as he bent down to retrieve a pair of sweats from a thorn bush. 

"I can't find either pair of boxers," Derek finally said, dropping the t-shirt and sweats that Stiles had changed into before leaving the celebrations. 

"It doesn't matter. I didn't particularly like that pair anyway," Stiles yawned. He was happy but he was dog tired. And cold. A breeze had picked up, rustling the leaves on the trees and making Stiles shiver.

Derek gently rubbed his bicep with one hand, feeling the cold skin and developing goose pimples. 

"You're freezing," he said worriedly, beginning to gently manipulate his mate's limbs into the clothes, while Stiles co-operated dopily, barely able to keep his eyes open at that point.

Once they were both dressed, Derek wrapped the younger man in a warm fleecey blanket, tucking it around him so tightly that Stiles could barely move his arms. Where the blanket had even come from, Stiles had no idea. Derek must have stashed it in the trees earlier, for such a time as this. He was nothing if not prepared when it came to the comfort of his mate. 

Stiles was so sleepy that he barely startled when Derek scooped him up into his arms, cradling him lovingly as he began the walk back home. 

"I can walk," Stiles protested weakly, voice slurred. 

Derek chuckled.

"I highly doubt that. Besides, it's tradition for the groom to carry the bride over the threshold.".

That jerked Stiles back to semi- wakefulness. 

"Why do I have to be the bride?".

His mate chuckled again, kissing the bridge of his nose.

"We both know it's true. Now shhh, go back to sleep,". 

 

The next time Stiles woke was as Derek was gently lowering him onto their shared king size mattress. Blinking in the artificial light coming from the bedside lamp, he tried to sit up, not an easy thing while he was still tightly swaddled in the blanket. The blanket that he now recognised as the one he bought for Derek when he was de-aged, for his nest. He had no idea that Derek had kept it. He had presumed that it was ripped up and thrown in the bin along with everything else from that time.

His mate perched on the edge of the bed with a gentle smile, and Stiles got a shock when he saw for the first time just how dirty the older man was. It was no wonder really. They had moved about a lot during their late night 'wrestling match'. Stiles no doubt looked just as bad.

"Do you want a bath first, or just sleep?" Derek asked.

Stiles was torn. The idea of just curling up under the duvet and falling asleep next to his mate sounded heavenly, particularly with how tired and achy he was now feeling. But now he knew just how filthy he was, he was starting to feel grotty and uncomfortable.

"Bath," he decided finally. He would get a much better night's sleep once he was clean. 

"I'll go and run you one now," Derek replied, leaning forwards to press a tender kiss to his brow.

As he was straightening up, the werewolf suddenly stilled, unreadable gaze fixed on something on the wall above Stiles' head. 

"Stiles. What the hell is that?"

Stiles followed his lover's line of vision and burst out laughing.

For, framed and hanging on the wall above their bed was three year old Derek's bonding ceremony drawing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Thanks so much for reading. Please leave kudos/comments to let me know what you think of it.
> 
> I'm currently thinking about writing a series of oneshots set during the time when Derek was a three year old. If you have any story ideas or requests please leave it in a comment below.


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